Looking to include some college hoops in your midweek sports betting? Three of the top-ranked teams in the nation play on Wednesday night, all in conference play. Second-ranked Auburn hosts Vanderbilt; fifth-ranked Purdue heads to Northwestern; and top-ranked Gonzaga visits Pepperdine. The spreads on these games are all likely to be fairly wide, so let’s look closely at each matchup and don’t miss our College Basketball Betting predictions.
NCAA News: 3 Big Wednesday Previews
Vanderbilt at #2 Auburn (9:00 pm ET, ESPN SEC Network)
Vanderbilt has won three out of five after losing by nine at South Carolina on January 26. Since then, they have beaten Georgia (not a basketball power in the SEC) at home, lost at then-#5 Kentucky by seven, beaten then-#25 LSU at home by nine and beaten Missouri at home by eight. Their last action came on Saturday, when they lost at then-#19 Tennessee by nine. Vanderbilt trailed by as many as 16 soon after halftime, but the Commodores roared back to trail by just one with 11:34 remaining in regulation. After that, though, Vanderbilt went more than four minutes without a single point, and the Volunteers pulled away.
Next up is a trip to Auburn. The Tigers lost at Arkansas last Tuesday but followed that with a 17-point drubbing of Texas A&M at home on Saturday. Walker Kessler posted an unusual triple-double for Auburn in the win: a dozen blocks, a dozen points and 11 boards. He started the game by blocking four of the first seven shots that the Aggies attempted. Allen Flanigan put up a season high 16 points in the win, and K.D. Johnson chipped in 11, with Devan Cambridge adding 10. Auburn looks to have bounced back, but can they continue the success against a team that is above Texas A&M in the SEC hierarchy?
Final Score Prediction:
Auburn 72, Vanderbilt 60
#5 Purdue at Northwestern (9:00 pm ET, Big Ten Network)
Purdue had a six-game winning streak snapped at Michigan on Thursday, losing by 24 at unranked Michigan. They barely escaped their own gym with a 62-61 win over unranked Maryland on Sunday, and so now they seem to be running on fumes as they head to take on another unranked foe when they visit Northwestern. It took a block from Trevion Williams as time expired to keep Maryland from making a game-winning lay-up, as Purdue held on to complete a comeback from a 12-point deficit at the ten-minute mark of the second half.
Northwestern had beaten Rutgers, Nebraska and Indiana in succession before losing by seven at then-#13 Illinois on Sunday. Ty Berry came off the bench to score 16 for the Wildcats. Chase Audige scored a dozen, and Pete Nance was the other Wildcat in double figures with 10. Audige also led the team on the boards with seven. The team shot just 38.7% from the floor (and 29.2% from behind the arc), and lost the rebound battle, 47-30, permitting 11 offensive boards. Can they do better against the visiting Boilermakers?
Final Score Prediction:
Purdue 68, Northwestern 64
#1 Gonzaga at Pepperdine (11:00 pm ET, ESPN2)
Gonzaga just keeps rolling through its West Coast Conference slate, winning conference games by an average of almost 30 points per game. They faced a tougher matchup on Saturday, as they hosted then-#22 St. Mary’s and had to grind for a lot of their 74-58 win. Drew Timme went 11 of 16 from the floor, putting up 25 points and pulling down eight boards while dishing out five assists. Things got interesting when Saint Mary’s got within single digits in the waning minutes, but Julian Strawther knocked down a couple of clutch three-balls to seal the win.
A trip to Pepperdine is next for the Bulldogs. The Waves are just 7-20 on the season, but they pushed BYU hard in a 91-85 loss on Saturday. Houston Mallette had a season with with 31 points against the Cougars. Jan Zidek chipped in 20 for a Pepperdine team with just one WCC win. Mike Mitchell Jr also hit double figures with 13 points, and he led the team in assists with seven, tied with Darryl Polk Jr. Will Gonzaga have their focus back to key the rout?
Final Score Prediction:
Gonzaga 84, Pepperdine 69
